Well, it's the same old, same with the birds here. There were Doves feeding on the ground this morning and I spotted a Green Heron on the power line:


There were a few Red-bellied Woodpeckers coming to the suet feeders this morning, mostly males and one juvenile who clung to the side of the tree wanting to be fed:

Thank you Lin!

I like to see the different birds in other areas too. I can't put my suet out for a while, the darn Ravens sneak in when I'm not looking and they can devour it in minutes, they drive me crazy! The little Downy Woodpecker came around yesterday and there was no suet for him.

Down here the Grackles and the Red-winged Blackbirds raid the suet feeders and the seed feeders. They devour the suet and scatter seed everywhere as they take what they like from the feeders. If I forget to take the suet feeders down at night the Raccoons will tear them apart to get at the suet. The metal suet feeders look to be all chewed up along the edges by either raccoons or squirrels. :grumbling:

I've seen a few Downy WP's lately but they are very skittish with all of the large birds around the feeder area and are sometimes frightened off before getting a chance to partake of the suet. Here's a little male Downy perched in the Cypress tree in the backyard last week:

A juvenile Mockingbird resting on a branch at the top of the Cypress tree, and a Red-bellied Woodpecker in the same tree:

Mama Mockingbird and her young one hanging out together; when they aren't together, Mama is always vigilant and on the lookout for danger:


Northern Cardinal, male:

Lin, I guess we all have our own problems with the bigger birds and the gluttons.
Very nice photos, their all such cute birds.

My son is visiting for a few days and he brought me a very nice gift, Cannon 10 X 30 with image stabilizer binoculars, great for shaky old people, they are awesome!!

Margaret, what a nice gift your son gave you ... I bet they are awesome and you have an abundance of wildlife in your area to view through those great binoculars!!

mcash70 said:
My son is visiting for a few days and he brought me a very nice gift, Cannon 10 X 30 with image stabilizer binoculars, great for shaky old people, they are awesome!!

That sounds like a great gift! Something that you could get a lot of use out of.

I hear the Pileated Woodpeckers all the time but rarely see them for more than a second or two. I didn't get real good shots but it's always so cool to see them.

A female Downy WP at a suet feeder ...... Mama Dove on the roof near the corner of the house where her babies ones are hiding:


Red-wnged Blackbird .............................. Common Grackle ..................................... Blue Jay:


Juvenile Red-bellied WP .......................... Tufted Titmouse ........................................ Cardinal:

Mama Dove better be taking care of the little ones.

I got so scared this morning; I mowed the lawn and needed to hand water some plants back in the area where they've been hiding but I didn't want to scare them. Well, I looked real good and didn't see them so I figured they'd flown the coop (so to speak) so I dragged the hose over and began watering ... got to that back corner and * zoom * the two babies came flying out of the bushes! They flew to the other side of the yard and I was so concerned that I'd really scared them bad.

I got the plants watered and reeled the hose back up and went to work on the other side of the house for awhile. I kept checking and finally saw one little one walking back over to the corner, but no sign of baby #2. I came in and showered and fixed our dinner and went back out again to check ... that's when I saw mama dove on the roof ... and both of the babies were right back in the flower pot at the corner of the house!

That is so funny that they have made the flowerpot their home. But they sound like they are doing well.

Yes, and I can't wait to see them fly away ... I'm on pins and needles worrying that something is going to get them one of these days/nights!

They must be able to fly. But I guess they don't want to.

Fabulous photos Margaret! That could be titled the colorful birds of Canada. It's so wild (to me) to see a blackbird that has color other than black on it.

Lin, Kudos on getting a pair of pileateds!

Thank you Ann!

plantladylin said:Mama Mockingbird and her young one hanging out together; when they aren't together, Mama is always vigilant and on the lookout for danger:


Northern Cardinal, male:

Isn't there more than one baby/juvie Mockingbird in FL? There always is here.

Marilyn: There are many juvenile birds about right now; but this Mockingbird hatched in a nest in my yard. I'm not sure how many eggs were originally in the nest but Crows got at least one (I watched the adult birds chasing it with the egg in it's bill) and I think a black snake might have gotten a baby. I've been watching this particular juvenile Mocker since it hatched. There are two Mockingbird nests in my yard and a couple in my next door neighbors yard as well. And, another neighbor a few houses down had baby Mockingbirds in her bushes too. I've seen a couple of juvenile Blue Jays being fed by parents but haven't been able to get photo's.

Well, today is my volunteer day at the Botanical Gardens so I better get going! Have a great day everyone.

A few birds from this afternoon: